Railway flat car having stub center sills

ABSTRACT

A railway flat car having a plurality of spaced beams extending longitudinally of the car, each beam being of generally uniform dimensions and forming an upper lading support surface especially for relatively heavy items such as steel ingots, slabs, coils, billets, and the like. A shear plate is secured beneath the beams adjacent each end of the car and a stub center sill structure is secured beneath the shear plate adjacent each end of the car. The center sill structure terminates at a cross bearer member secured beneath the beams and extending transversely the entire width of the car.

[ 1 March 6, 1973 2,167,427 7/1939 Tatum..................................105/355 [54] RAILWAY FLAT CAR HAVING STUB CENTER SILLS Primary ExaminerGerald M. Forlenza [75] Inventor 3 2" OLeary Creve Coeur Assistant Examiner-Richard A. Bertsch Attorney-Eugene N. Riddle [57] ABSTRACT A railway flat car having a plurality of spaced beams extending longitudinally of the car, each beam being [73] Assignee: ACF Industries, Incorporated, New

York, N.Y.

[22] Filed: Oct. 9, 1970 [2]] Appl. No.: 79,466

of generally uniform dimensions and forming an upper lading support surface especially 'for relatively heavy items such as steel ingots, slabs, coils, billets, and the like. A shear plate is secured beneath the beams adjacent each end of the car and a stub center sill struc- [51] Int. Cl. 15/00 v [58] Field of SearchMUIOSBSS, 367 419, 421, 413 ture 15 secured beneath the shear plate ad acent each 105/414, 422, 396, 404 end of the car. The center 5111 structure terminates at a cross bearer member secured beneath the beams and extending transversely the entire width of the car.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 2,969,752 l/l96l Terlecky..............................l05/422 3,080,021 3/1963 Muir.....................................l0S/422 PATENTED 61973 SHEET 2 OF 3 n" "h l l 'd" l l "I ll PATENTEDHAR 61m 3,719,155

SHEET 3 OF 3 RAILWAY FLAT CAR HAVING STUB CENTER SILLS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Railway flat cars have been employed heretofore with a partial or stub center sill adjacent each end of the railway car. However, such railway cars have employed an underframe with side sills of a relatively large cross-sectional area as the primary longitudinal members extending the length of the car. Such a design has required a relatively large number of transverse crosstie or cross bearer members extending between the side sills to provide rigidity to the underframe and to dissipate forces, such as resulting from the weight of the lading and impact loads. It is time consuming to fit and weld a relatively large number of cross members between sills or stringers, and especially when a continuous center sill is employed in the railway flat car. When non-uniform loads are not distributed evenly across the width of the car, it is desirable to provide cross members between the sills or stringers in order to distribute the loads in a generally uniform manner.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a railway flat car particularly adapted for the transfer within a steel mill of various relatively heavy objects, such as steel slabs, billets, blooms, ingots, coils, or crop ends. The railway fiat car may be of a relatively short length, such as 40 feet and is designed to have a minimum of transversely extending members, such as crossties or cross bearers.

The railway car of the present invention is particularly adapted for the transport of loads which are distributed generally uniformly across the width of the car, thereby permitting a generally equal loading on the longitudinal members even without cross members connecting the longitudinal members. The invention comprises a plurality of spaced beams extending longitudinally of the car each beam being of substantially identical dimensions with a vertical web and integral top and bottom plates and forming an upper lading support surface, a body bolster structure adjacent each end of the flat car, a shear plate adjacent each end of the car secured between the spaced beams and the body bolster and extending from the adjacent end of the car to a position at least to the body bolster, and a stub center sill adjacent each end of the car secured to the shear plate and the body bolster for transferring loads therebetween. A transversely extending cross member is secured at the rear end of each stub center sill and is welded to the lower plates of each of the spaced beams.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated,

FIG. 1 is a perspective of a railway flat car forming the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan of around one-half the length of the railway car shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the railway car illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 and showing a truck supporting the underframe thereon;

FIG. 4 is an end elevation of the railway car shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5 is a section taken generally along line 55 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a section taken generally along line 6--6 of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, a railway flat car generally indicated 10 includes an underframe l2 and a wheeled truck generally indicated 14 adjacent each end of railway flat car 10. A coupler generally indicated 16 is provided adjacent each end of railway car 10 and has a shank l7. Coupler shank 17 fits within the open end of a stub center sill structure generally indicated 18. Center sill structure 18 comprises a generally hat-shaped stub center sill 20 and a coupler carrier 22 extending between flanges 24 of hat-shaped center sill 20 to support coupler shank l7 thereon.

An end sill structure generally indicated 26 is provided adjacent each end of railway car 10 and includes a channel-shaped end sill 28 extending transversely of the car, a transversely extending end reinforcing plate 30, and longitudinal extending reinforcing plates 32 secured between the outer face of channel-shaped member 28 and plate 30 in the area over center sill l8. Reinforcing plates 34 extend from the inner face of channel-shaped member 28 in the area over stub center sill 20. A shear plate 36 is secured to the upper surface of hat-shaped center sill 18 adjacent each end of railway car 10 and end sill structure 26 is secured thereto. Shear plate 36 terminates rearwardly at a body bolster generally indicated 38 and comprising a bolster lower cover plate 40 having a center plate 42 thereon adapted to fit within a mating center plate on truck 14. Shear plate 36 forms the bolster upper cover plate. Bolster vertical webs 44 extend transversely of the car between shear plate 36 and lower bolster cover plate 40.

A plurality of longitudinally extending outer and inner beams or stringers 46A and 46B, respectively, extend between the inner faces of channel-shaped members 28 forming end sill structures 26. Each beam is of generally identical dimensions and includes a vertical web 48, an integral upper plate 50, and an integral lower plate 52. Beams 46A and 46B are supported on and secured to the upper surfaces of shear plates 36 adjacent the ends of railway flat car 10. Mounted adjacent the end of each stub center sill 20 is a transversely extending beam 54 having an integral upper plate 56 secured to the lower plates 52 of each of the longitudinally extending beams 46A and 46B for transferring loads therebetween resulting from impact forces exerted against center sill 20. Stiffener plates 58 are secured between plates 50 and 52 of beams 46A and 468 at a position over transversely extending beams 54. Stiffener plates 60 are secured between plates 50 and 52 of beams 46A and 468 at a position over bolster structure 38 thereby to stiffen beams 46A and 468 at this location. Mounted on the upper surfaces of beams 46A and 463 over each bolster structure 38 is a cross member 62 which further serves to stiffen beams 46A and 468 in the area over bolster structures 38. Lading, such as steel plates, or the like, may be supported on the upper surfaces of cross members 62, if desired.

Upon the exertion of impact forces from coupler 16, the forces are dissipated by center sill structure 18, shear plate 36, end sill structures 26, bolster structures 38, and longitudinal beams 46A and 46B.

What is claimed is:

l A railway flat car comprising:

an end sill structure adjacent each end of the car; a plurality of spaced beams extending longitudinally of the car between the end sill structures, each beam being of substantially identical dimensions 1 and forming an upper support surface;

a body bolster structure adjacent each end of the flat car;

a shear plate adjacent each end of the car secured between the spaced beams and the body bolster and extending from the adjacent end of the car to a position at least to the body bolster; and a stub center sill structure adjacent each end of the car secured to the shear plate and the body bolster for transferring loads thereto resulting from impact loads exerted against the stub center sill from a coupler positioned within each stub center sill structure;

said space beams constituting substantially all of the car support structure between said stub center sill structures.

2. A railway flat car as set forth in claim 1 wherein each beam comprises a vertical web with integral upper and lower plates.

3. A railway flat car as set forthin claim 2 wherein stiffner plates are secured between the upper-and lower plates of said beams at a position over the body bolsters thereby to reinforce the beams in the body bolster area.

4. A railway flat car as set forth in claim 2 wherein said shear plate extends between each end sill structure and the adjacent body bolster and terminates rearwardly at the adjacent body bolster, said stub center sill structure being generally hat-shaped in cross section and said shear plate supported on and secured to the upper surface of the hat-shaped center sill structure.

5. A railway flat car as set forth in claim 2 wherein said end sill structure includes a channel-shaped member having its web extending vertically above the spaced beams with the ends of said beams abutting and secured to the inner face of said web.

6. A railway flat car comprising:

a plurality of spaced beams extending longitudinally of the car and forming an upper lading support surface, each beam having a vertical web and integraltop and bottom horizontal plates;

a body bolster structure adjacent each end of the flat car;

a shear plate adjacent each end of the car secured between the spaced beams and the body bolster and extending from the adjacent end of the car to a position at least to the body bolster;

a stub center sill structure adjacent each end of the car secured to the shear plate and the body bolster for transferring loads therebetween; and a trans-.

verse cross member secured to theend of each stub center sill structure and to the lower plates of all the spaced beams for transferring loads therebetween;

said spaced beams constituting substantially all of the car support between said transverse cross members.

7. A railway flat car as set forth in claim 6 wherein said shear plate extends between each end sill structure and the adjacent body bolster and terminates rearwardly at the adjacent body bolster;

said stub center sill structure being generally hatsha ed in cross section and said shear fplate suppor ed on andsecured to the upper sur ace of the hat-shaped center sill structure. v

8. A railway flat car as set forth 'in claim 6 wherein stiffner plates are secured between the upper and lower plates of the beams at positions over the body bolsters and at positions over the transverse cross member secured to the end of each stub center sill structure to reinforce the beams thereat.

9. A railway flat car as set forth in claim 6 wherein said end sill structure includes a channel-shaped member having its web extending vertically above the spaced'beams with the ends of the beams abutting and secured to the inner face of the web, and longitudinally extending reinforcing plates are secured between the shear plate and the channel-shaped member in the area generally over the center sill structure to strengthen the channel-shaped memberthereat. 

1. A railway flat car comprising: an end sill structure adjacent each end of the car; a plurality of spaced beams extending longitudinally of the car between the end sill structures, each beam being of substantially identical dimensions and forming an upper suppOrt surface; a body bolster structure adjacent each end of the flat car; a shear plate adjacent each end of the car secured between the spaced beams and the body bolster and extending from the adjacent end of the car to a position at least to the body bolster; and a stub center sill structure adjacent each end of the car secured to the shear plate and the body bolster for transferring loads thereto resulting from impact loads exerted against the stub center sill from a coupler positioned within each stub center sill structure; said space beams constituting substantially all of the car support structure between said stub center sill structures.
 1. A railway flat car comprising: an end sill structure adjacent each end of the car; a plurality of spaced beams extending longitudinally of the car between the end sill structures, each beam being of substantially identical dimensions and forming an upper suppOrt surface; a body bolster structure adjacent each end of the flat car; a shear plate adjacent each end of the car secured between the spaced beams and the body bolster and extending from the adjacent end of the car to a position at least to the body bolster; and a stub center sill structure adjacent each end of the car secured to the shear plate and the body bolster for transferring loads thereto resulting from impact loads exerted against the stub center sill from a coupler positioned within each stub center sill structure; said space beams constituting substantially all of the car support structure between said stub center sill structures.
 2. A railway flat car as set forth in claim 1 wherein each beam comprises a vertical web with integral upper and lower plates.
 3. A railway flat car as set forth in claim 2 wherein stiffner plates are secured between the upper and lower plates of said beams at a position over the body bolsters thereby to reinforce the beams in the body bolster area.
 4. A railway flat car as set forth in claim 2 wherein said shear plate extends between each end sill structure and the adjacent body bolster and terminates rearwardly at the adjacent body bolster, said stub center sill structure being generally hat-shaped in cross section and said shear plate supported on and secured to the upper surface of the hat-shaped center sill structure.
 5. A railway flat car as set forth in claim 2 wherein said end sill structure includes a channel-shaped member having its web extending vertically above the spaced beams with the ends of said beams abutting and secured to the inner face of said web.
 6. A railway flat car comprising: a plurality of spaced beams extending longitudinally of the car and forming an upper lading support surface, each beam having a vertical web and integral top and bottom horizontal plates; a body bolster structure adjacent each end of the flat car; a shear plate adjacent each end of the car secured between the spaced beams and the body bolster and extending from the adjacent end of the car to a position at least to the body bolster; a stub center sill structure adjacent each end of the car secured to the shear plate and the body bolster for transferring loads therebetween; and a transverse cross member secured to the end of each stub center sill structure and to the lower plates of all the spaced beams for transferring loads therebetween; said spaced beams constituting substantially all of the car support between said transverse cross members.
 7. A railway flat car as set forth in claim 6 wherein said shear plate extends between each end sill structure and the adjacent body bolster and terminates rearwardly at the adjacent body bolster; said stub center sill structure being generally hat-shaped in cross section and said shear plate supported on and secured to the upper surface of the hat-shaped center sill structure.
 8. A railway flat car as set forth in claim 6 wherein stiffner plates are secured between the upper and lower plates of the beams at positions over the body bolsters and at positions over the transverse cross member secured to the end of each stub center sill structure to reinforce the beams thereat. 